The US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service has determined it is safe to cook pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit followed by a three-minute rest period, a 15-degree reduction from what it previously recommended and what is currently recommended in Canada.

Canadian Pork Council manager of nutrition and food industry relations, Mary Ann Binnie, says the change demonstrates that pork can be enjoyed at a lower end internal temperature.

Mary Ann Binnie – Canadian Pork Council

The key factors to consider when cooking pork is that you do not over-cook and I think this information that has come out of the US is very positive because for years consumers have been over-cooking pork and it certainly is not necessary.

There was research conducted in the US that has clearly demonstrated that it is unnecessary to over-cook pork or to treat it any differently than the other meats such as beef, lamb or veal.

Cooking temperature definitely will have an impact on the juiciness, the tenderness and texture and it's because when you cook for a long time you are drying the moisture out of the meat.

As a result it's going to drier, tougher, less flavorful so this is wonderful news that the research has clearly demonstrated that you do not need to over-cook pork.

Ms Binnie recalls the US reduced its recommended end-point cooking temperature for pork to 160 degrees in 1986 but Health Canada did not accept that reduction until the 1990s.

She says there is no food safety basis to justify a difference between how pork is cooked in Canada versus the US and is hopeful Health Canada will be more expedient in reviewing the US recommendation this time around.

Further Reading

-

Go to our previous news item on this story by clicking here.